We Shall Overcome

Joan Baez

About We Shall Overcome

"We Shall Overcome" is a gospel song which became a protest song and a key anthem of the Civil Rights Movement. The song is most commonly attributed as being lyrically descended from "I'll Overcome Some Day", a hymn by Charles Albert Tindley that was first published in 1900. The modern version of the song was first said to have been sung by tobacco workers led by Lucille Simmons during a 1945 cigar workers strike in Charleston, South Carolina. In 1947, the song was published under the title "We Will Overcome" in an edition of the People's Songs Bulletin (a publication of People's Songs, an organization of which Pete Seeger was the director), as a contribution of and with an introduction by Zilphia Horton, then-music director of the Highlander Folk School of Monteagle, Tennessee (an adult education school that trained union organizers). Horton said she had learned the song from Simmons, and she considered it to be her favorite song. She taught it to many others, including Pete Seeger, who included it in his repertoire, as did many other activist singers, such as Frank Hamilton and Joe Glazer, who recorded it in 1950. 


Year:
1963
3:18
1,598 
#9

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WE SHALL OVERCOME Words and Music by Zilphia Hart., Frank Hamilton, Guy Carawan
And Pete Seeger

(La melodia sembra sia stata tratta da un canto di pescatori siciliani del 17'
Secolo, trasportata in Germania dove è diventata un inno protestante, e da qui
Alle congregazioni â??biancheâ?? protestanti degli Stati Uniti del sud. E' stata
Pubblicata per la prima volta come Inno negro in una versione modificata, nei
Primi anni dello scorso secolo. Usata, nella forma attuale, negli anni '40 come
Inno â??sindacaleâ?? dai lavoratori degli Alimentari e del Tabacco del
Sud-Carolina, e successivamente dai lavoratori delle scuole popolari del
Tennessee. E' usata tradizionalmente per chiudere tutti I congressi
Integrazionisti).

We shall overcome,
We shall overcome,
We shall overcome, some day.

Oh, deep in my heart,
I do believe
We shall overcome, some day.

We'll walk hand in hand,
We'll walk hand in hand,
We'll walk hand in hand, some day.

Oh, deep in my heart,

We shall live in peace,
We shall live in peace,
We shall live in peace, some day.

Oh, deep in my heart,

We shall all be free,
We shall all be free,
We shall all be free, some day.

Oh, deep in my heart,

We are not afraid,
We are not afraid,
We are not afraid, TODAY

Oh, deep in my heart,

We shall overcome,
We shall overcome,
We shall overcome, some day.

Oh, deep in my heart,
I do believe
We shall overcome, some day.

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Joan Baez

Joan Baez ( /ˈbaɪ.ɛz/) (born January 9, 1941 as Joan Chandos Báez) is an American folk singer, songwriter, musician, and a prominent activist in the fields of human rights, peace, and environmental justice. more »

12 fans

Written by: LAUREL AITKEN

Lyrics © Spirit Music Group, Downtown Music Publishing

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind


10 facts about this song

Historical Significance
"We Shall Overcome" is a protest song that became a key anthem of the Civil Rights Movement in the United States.
Artists' Contribution
Both Joan Baez and Pete Seeger were influential folk singers who contributed to popularizing the song by performing it at rallies, concerts, and other events during the 1960s Civil Rights Movement.
Song Origin
The song originated from the African American spiritual "I'll Overcome Someday" by Charles Albert Tindley. It was then adapted and changed into the current version known as "We Shall Overcome."
Pete Seeger's Influence
Seeger was one of those who changed the lyric from "I" to "We," helping to give the song its collective and empowering connotation suitable for a civil-rights protest song.
Joan Baez's Performance
Joan Baez famously performed the song on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial during the March on Washington in 1963.
Symbolic Use
"We Shall Overcome" grew in popularity to become a universal symbol of protest and hope, transcending the U.S. Civil Rights Movement and adopted by various activists worldwide.
Usage in cinema
The song has been used in several key historical and cultural documentaries and movies, such as in "Malcolm X," "Lee Daniels' The Butler," and the documentary series "Eyes on the Prize."
Song Recording
A version of the song performed by Bruce Springsteen, a music contemporary of Baez and Seeger, was also recorded for the Grammy-winning album, "We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions."
Presidential Endorsement
The song has won the endorsement of several U.S. presidents. President Lyndon B. Johnson used the phrase "We Shall Overcome" in speeches advocating for civil rights legislation, and President Barack Obama sang the song during the memorial service for Clem Pinckney.
Library of Congress Recognition
In 2006, "We Shall Overcome" was placed in the Library of Congress's National Recording Registry for its "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" value.

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    Top Hot 100 Songs 1963

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